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C.B. 3 problems loom large in chairperson race
Incumbent Gigi Li, pictured above, is being challenged by Chad Marlow, photo below, in C.B. 3’s chairperson election. Board members will vote on June 24. File photos
BY ANNE JOHNSON | I am writing this to clear up some inaccuracies and omissions in a couple of The Villager’s articles regarding Community Board 3, and to ask some questions.
First, a bit of history. When Scott Stringer became Manhattan borough president, he set out to make the appointments on the community boards more representative of the areas they covered. As a result, C.B. 3 became more culturally diverse. However, although the board has become more culturally diverse, the committee chairpersons — who are appointed solely by the board chairperson and make up a good portion of the Executive Committee — still are not.
Currently, C.B. 3 has two Asian-American committee chairpersons and the rest are white. This fact — and it is definitely a fact, no denying it — was pointed out to the current C.B. 3 chairperson, Ms. Gigi Li, on several occasions, and she did nothing.
In addition, when a committee chairpersonship became vacant, two different, eminently qualified African-American women asked to be appointed, and were turned down. One had asked to be a co-chairperson along with another person, and one had asked to be the chairperson by herself. The two who asked to be co-chairpersons were turned down because, Ms. Li told them, according to the bylaws, co-chairpersons were not allowed. The other woman was turned down because Ms. Li claimed that she had not been on the board long enough.
So what does Ms. Li do? She appoints two white men to be committee co-chairpersons, one of whom had been on C.B. 3 for the same amount of time as the African-American woman she turned down due to her short tenure on C.B. 3.
Ms. Li’s appointments resulted in one of the two white males becoming chairperson of four committees, simultaneously, and he was not the only white or Asian appointed by Ms. Li to hold multiple committee chairperson positions.
Now, is that racism or is it what we called in the 1960s a “white blind spot,” where a racist omission isn’t even seen as racism? Or is it possible that there is another reason — specifically that the Svengali who really runs C.B. 3 didn’t want these three people to sit on the Executive Committee, where they might really ask some questions about how the board has been improperly run in the last several years? It could be a bit of all three.
The community should know that many members of C.B. 3 have been very concerned about how the board has been run for the past several years. A lot needs changing. Our board has a terrible reputation. Three times in the past eight months alone, two Manhattan borough presidents have had to step in to question the actions of our chairperson.
Has the current chairperson been willing to make some necessary changes to ensure that all of the C.B. 3 members and the community we represent get fair treatment? Not at all. With that being the case, is it then time for a change, to elect someone who will run the board more fairly, not as a dictatorship but as a collaboration among all its members? Seems to me, it is time.
Now, the big question as C.B. 3 approaches its June election is whether its members will vote for chairperson based on each candidate’s record and merits. I hope so.
But one concern I have is that those who do not vote for change will take this position because they do not want to cast a vote against Ms. Li that might be viewed as a condemnation of her as a racist. I think that is a false concern. The accusations about Ms. Li’s actions are currently being investigated by Borough President Gale Brewer’s Office, which will make that determination.
C.B. 3’s vote is about who will do the best job running our board for the next year — that’s it. But to those who are still concerned about the racial implications of the June vote, I would ask them to consider this:
Would not a vote in favor of Ms. Li have negative implications for the African-American and Latino members of our board?
Would not a vote to reward Ms. Li with another term be seen as a statement that most members of our board do not see the exclusion of two “racial” groups from chairing C.B. 3 committees for two full years to be a big deal?
Would not a vote re-electing Ms. Li spread blame for her exclusionary policies from her alone to the full board?
Might her re-election cause a racial rift on our board that could spill over to the community at large?
A lot to consider.
Anne K. Johnson
Johnson is a member and former chairperson, Community Board 3
20 Responses to C.B. 3 problems loom large in chairperson race
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Stringer could have appointed all the purple, magenta and polka-dot people he wanted, but on most community boards in Manhattan – from the Bowery to Harlem – they are political cronies of either the Borough President or the local council member. That is the problem. Community Boards are not of the community. They provide political cover to corrupt politicians like Stringer. He was far worse than his predecessor C. Virginia Fields while he (and this paper) maintain the fiction that he was a reformer.
"the Svengali who really runs C.B. 3 "
LMAO
So true.
As a member of a different community board, I can assure you that CB3 is the laughing stock of Manhattan CBs.
When I read this op-ed, a picture came to my mind that I hope every member of CB3 will think about before casting their vote for Chair. Imagine it came out in the news that the President of the United States, Joe Candidate, had for his entire first term failed to appoint any Black or Latino judges (or generals). A week later, at his party’s national convention, you watched on TV as its delegates, despite the news, chanted “Four more years! Four more years!” What would you think about them? Probably: “How can they support Joe Candidate for another term after what he did? What are they? Racists?” Well, that is what people will think of you if you vote for Gigi Li after what she has done with Blacks and Latinos on CB3 (whether it was intentional or insensitive is irrelevant. And in her case, it was for TWO terms). Gigi Li has totally mismanaged CB3 and should be thrown out on her merits, whether you consider the appointments issue or not. But in light of her actions, voting to give her another term would be just as hurtful to Blacks and Latinos as her original exclusion of those groups. Please vote to make the situation at CB3 better not worse!
Not sure if the real question is if Ms. Li is racist or not. From my point of you, a member of the community who has seen how laughable CB3 has become, specially the LSA licensing comitee, Ms. Li has been appointing people that pushes her agenda and other CB3 members political interests. It is obvious and everybody can see that.
Ms. Li has clearly showed how poor leadership can bring down the reputation of a whole community board, a board where many members are trying to do the right thing but get silenced and their vision and work for the community is tarnished by cheap political moves of a few. CB3 makes a mockery of the hard work of a group of people who can’t do much because the “leadership” is so focused on playing their own game and this needs to stop.
Members of CB3! This is a chance to vote for the right person and change things for the better. Please stop being tha laughing stock of all the CB’s of this city. Enough! Out with the crooks and turn all your time and hard work into a respectable force.
Nice to know that there are long time serving members like Ms. Johnson who are independent thinkers not afraid to ask the right questions, tell the truth, and call out the unpleasant little Svengali braggart who touts how connected to and entrusted by the politicos she is!
Kudos to Ms. Johnson!
CB3 has become the poster child for government run amok! It incites ridicule, anger, frustration and breeds apathy and low participation among residents.
As a long time resident who participated and experienced first hand the cronyism, incompetence, untruths and political favors, it is refreshing to see people like Johnson, Harrington and Marlow pushing back.
I look forward to The Villager covering the results of the election. I hope the Villager will publish the vote sheet, so residents can see who voted for whom and who abstained.
Let's hope there are more people like Anne Johnson on CB3 willing to do the right thing and vote the Svengali's puppet out!
And don't forget people we can vote our council people and MBP out if they don't start taking seriously how bad this CB is!
The lack of diverse chairperson appointees did not begin with Gigi Li, and certainly the convoluted and wasteful liquor license application process did not begin with her either, CB3 may be a laughing stock but the fault for that does not all rest with the chair. I'm not on the board and don't have a vote but this seems to me an obvious problem with the idea that voting against Gigi li is somehow a vote against racism.
A vote against Gigi Li is a vote for much needed change.
Your right Gigi Li did not start the system that excluded Latinos and African-Americans, but for two years she upheld it at the behest of the Svengali and the handful of people that chair all the committees. This makes her weak and inept–willing to put her political ambitions over her moral obligations.
You are right Gigi Li did not create the disaster that is the SLA committee but for two years she did nothing to improve the process or call to task how the committee functions. There are glaring problems with that committee including incompetence and corruption yet Gigi Li did not have the fortitude to challenge the chair, offer up workable solutions or replace negligent members of the committee.
Gigi Li's problem is she let the handful of people who have been running the show for way too long tell her when to jump and how high. She let them lead her down this path where she has had to take all the hits publicly for their decisions (and that of the elected officials they are proxies for).
Unfortunately for Gigi Li her willingness to be manipulated will haunt her for the rest of her public life.
Maxx555 it really comes down to this ANYONE BUT GIGI!
I TOTALLY AGREE that a vote against Gigi is NOT a vote against racism. In fact, I think Gigi wants people to think about the vote that way so they feel forced to vote for her if they don't think she is racist (and I don't think anybody really thinks she's racist). In truth, a vote against Gigi is a vote AGAINST poor management of the community board and FOR a better CB3 relationship with the community. Not sure that was exactly your point max555, but it is the right one.
Vote as you may, but from what I'm reading is sounds like the real problem is Svengali.
And the person on the board who is responsible for the actions of the "Svengali" and for supervising her is the Chair.
Ms. Li's incompetence and S.S. Svengali's domination were clearly demonstrated during the Dave McWaters Scandal of last year.
McWaters was an ally of these two, but who lived in New Jersey. Yet for years he illicitly and unethically claimed to the borough president that he lived in Manhattan, willfully breaking the rules and keeping himself in power on the board and on the SLA Committee – a bar owner with the power to approve or reject the liquor license applications of his potential competitors.
He eventually was forced to resign in disgrace when Borough President Scott Stringer learned of his lies and schemes.
Either Gigi Li and S.S. Svengali knew McWaters was breaking the rules and shut their mouths to keep their boy on the board – or else they are incredibly incompetent.
Yet it took someone from OUTSIDE the board to discover this and have the courage to reveal it. What does that say about Li and Svengali?
That they allowed McWaters to break the regulations speaks volumes as to why they should be removed.
Furthermore, what kind of women are these two who permitted this bully boy to publicly get in the face of, and threaten, a young LES woman who simply questioned him during a committee meeting?
I am not sure if they are racist, but they certainly enable misogynists to bully and attack women.
How many scandals in one year can a community board have? Jeez!
There is absolutely no way the "SS" Svengali and her proxy Li (and other members ) didn't know McWater lived in NJ. CB3 has been running afoul and covering up for years!
McWater and Stetzer though they didn't personally like each other cut a deal to share leadership between DM and Chair. She made sure he won in 2004 and he made sure Berg came after him, and Berg made sure Li replaced him.
CB3 is an embarrassment!
Dave McWaters was on the board when the previous chair was there as well and that he got in people's faces all the time under the previous chair as well, he is a blowhard and a bully, but how is Gigi Li singularly responsible for that and the previous chair is not? How is the borough president not responsible for investigating him either, after all he was his appointee wasn't he? Vote against Gigi Li all you want but the fault of the systemic problems of that CB did not begin and wont' end with her.
Don't put words in other people's mouths. No one said the prior chair was blameless.
And to answer your other question, McWater was investigated by Stringer, It was well reported last year in this paper.
Li's problem, unlike the prior chair, is that she has political aspirations and is using her position as a spring board – at our expense. Are you unaware that she has desires to replace Margaret Chin?
But Li is the lesser of the problems at CB3. It is S.S. Svengali who is the problem and her being a paid city employees, manipulating a community board for her own personal reasons, is reprehensible.
I didn't put words in anyone's mouth, I'm pointing out how the problem did not begin with her so how does she end up being solely responsible for David McWater, she was probably a teenager when he began to serve on the board, you have a disgustingly judgmental and condescending tone, what is the matter with you, can't you tolerate a difference of opinion?
clearly your beef is against Gigi Li, so you have conveniently let everyone else off the hook, you said it not me, I didn't put anything in your mouth.
Perhaps community boards should cease to be appointed and actually be elected by the community. Especially my own dear board, CB 3. A disgrace.
as someone not in tune with CB3power structures, who is this mysterious svengali?
You mean S.S. Svengali?
Well, do notice that Susan Stetzer, the board's long-time district manager – and a civil servant – has S.S. for her initials.
As a life long resident of the Lower East Side and a LES advocate I have applied to become a member of cb3, for the last five years. I have help leaders of this community on more project than I care to remember. Yet, I have not been given this opportunity as a residents who has stood up and against this instill practice within cb3. As a community advocate, I'm certainly happy to hear that the practices is currently being look into by our borough president office. May divinity be her guide. __Furthermore, after reading this article, I can say from first hand experience that the practices that are alleged herein, do have validity and yes there is a lot of backroom politic occurring that will hinder the true diversity of this great historic community. This problem needs to be address and corrected, now ! I certainly feel that cb3 needs more minority leadership and yes more minorities appointment to cb3. There have been many upstanding residents who have help the struggles of this communities over the many years to keep the diverseness of this wonderful community alive, yet their work will have been vain, if this cb3 community practice is not is not legally address now. Has the time come for real change? I will continue to observe from the outside.